Police: Okemos medical office manager embezzled $150,000

An Okemos woman embezzled more than $150,000 from a medical office after giving herself unapproved raises and writing checks to herself over a period of three years, police said.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

MASON - An Okemos woman embezzled more than $150,000 from a medical practice after giving herself unapproved raises and writing checks to herself over a period of three years, police said.

Sue Brownlee Jones, 59, faces two counts of embezzling between $50,000 and $99,000, and one count of embezzling between $1,000 and $19,999, court records show.

Jones worked at Total Family Health Care Plus in Okemos, said Mark Divney, a Meridian Township police officer who testified at a hearing that led to the charges.

Jones "originally started out as a regular employee," Divney said, but was later named office manager.

After Jones abruptly quit in March 2017, the office had an accountant go through financial records. The accountant found that Jones had given herself unapproved pay raises starting in 2015, the officer said.

After a series of incremental unapproved pay raises, Jones nearly doubled her own salary in less than two years, Divney said. She also gave herself an unapproved bonus, wrote checks to herself and loaned herself money from medical office funds.

All told, Jones embezzled $153,538 from 2015 to 2017, the officer testified. A doctor affiliated with the practice contacted police in May 2017.

Jones' attorney did not immediately respond to a message left Monday morning seeking comment.

Jones has a pre-exam conference scheduled in Mason's 55th District Court on Feb. 15.